TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A senior Iranian military commander emphasized the need for ceaseless efforts to upgrade the country’s defense capabilities as a duty.

Iran does not need permission from anybody to boost its defense power, Army Lieutenant Commander Brigadier General Abdolrahim Mousavi said at a cultural ceremony in the northern port city of Bandar Anzali on Monday.

He also reiterated that the Iranian Armed Forces are fully prepared to defend the country against any enemy.

Earlier this month, President Hassan Rouhani highlighted the necessity for paying equal attention to both diplomacy and Armed Forces in national doctrine, saying that the country needs both of them at the same time.

“Our diplomacy and Armed Forces pursue the same goal: national security, national might, stability, and development in the country,” Rouhani said.

Iranian military experts and technicians have in recent years made great headways in enhancing defense capabilities and manufacturing a broad range of indigenous equipment, making the armed forces self-sufficient in the arms sphere.

Iran has made it clear that its military power poses no threat to the regional countries, saying that the Islamic Republic’s defense doctrine is entirely based on deterrence.